The Cure for Summertime Heat Is Cold Buckwheat Noodles

Crave a refreshing lunch? Try #13 at Pyung Chang–buckwheat noodles in cold broth with kimchee, a.k.a. mul naeng myun. Melanie Wong loves the slushy, very pale, and slightly sweet broth. Add a bit of mustard from the squeeze bottle, and it’s cool, zingy perfection. The buckwheat noodles are firm and springy, as good naeng myun noodles ought to. They’re topped with thin bits of sweet cucumber, daikon kimchee, a bit of crunchy Asian pear, and half a hard-boiled egg. It’s just the ticket for hot summer days. The place is air-conditioned, too.

There’s also truly great panchan–zucchini braised with garlic, topped with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. The zucchini becomes thoroughly infused with the flavor of garlic.

Sahn Maru offers three different cold buckwheat noodle dishes, and they’re all great. Maya S and her buddies ate every last bite of noodles, seafood pancakes, and sizzling spicy chicken.

We must add that Sahn Maru has three cold buckwheat noodle dishes on offer. Five of us tried them all last Saturday along with a seafood pancake and a sizzling plate of spicy chicken. Not a bite was left. The owners/staff were watching the US/Italy game with much gusto but managed to serve us well. Air conditioned, too!